[QUOTE=VBCurtis;388021]Atom boards are their own socket- you cannot replace the CPU with a normal Core chip. I doubt even a current "nice" Atom is worth your time. Memory, likewise- it is whatever it is, and different generations of memory (say, DDR3 vs DDR2) are not interchangeable.

The Atom CPU was designed primarily for netbook use- super low-power draw, but very slow. I suppose you could salvage the case/disk/memory by buying a used Core2Quad chip and board for $100ish, but even then the power supply might not be up to the task to run the CPU.

I think this machine is best given to e.g. a friend's child.[/QUOTE]

I thought about giving it to a friend's child but alas they are all too young for the time being. 100 dollars is cheaper than I thought for replacing the board and CPU. I assume I could also find a cheap PSU? There is a "hole" in the back of the case where it would go and the fact that it didn't have one really confused the IT people at MicroCenter for a while.

[QUOTE=Primeinator;388066]I thought about giving it to a friend's child but alas they are all too young for the time being. 100 dollars is cheaper than I thought for replacing the board and CPU. I assume I could also find a cheap PSU? There is a "hole" in the back of the case where it would go and the fact that it didn't have one really confused the IT people at MicroCenter for a while.[/QUOTE]

If it has a PCIe slot, it might be cheaper to pick up a used graphics card and run mfakt*. Make sure the power supply has the right connectors for the card.

At some point it might be worthwhile to ask if it is worth trying to upgrade if only the case, HDD, and possible optical drive are all you are carrying over. Also, you should be sure that the case will accommodate an ATX or mATX board. This would include mounting positions (standoffs) and alignment of card slots with the openings in the case.